Zipper lubricator



M. T. SANDERS Z IPPER LUBRICATOR July 7, 1970 Filed Feb. 17, 1969 I ,l. A

m a w m m a M 0 m 7 1 5 4 I r i a l e 5 INVENTOR m d M S T M w M United States Patent 9 3,519,099 ZIPPER LUBRICATOR Merle T. Sanders, Apt. 703, Henry Clay Hotel, Ashland, Ky. 41101 Filed Feb. 17, 1969, Ser. No. 799,793

Int. Cl. F16n 9/04 US. Cl. 184-15 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A zipper lubricator is composed of a hollow block containing a lubricant and a piston which is removably attached to a base plate having a groove through which a zipper string can slide, and a slot between the groove and the interior of the block containing the lubricant. The piston can be moved downwardly by a threaded shaft to force the lubricant through the slot into the groove.

This invention relates to a device for lubricating a zipper string.

Hand-operated devices such as disclosed in the patent to Soldan, No. 2,713,694, are desirable for applying a lubricant to a zipper string. Heretofore, available devices were relatively complicated and expensive for performing this simple function.

The object of this invention is to produce an inexpensive and effective device for applying a lubricant to a zipper string.

In general, this object is obtained by using a hollow block containing a piston actuated by a shaft threaded in the block and filling the block with a zipper lubricant. The lubricant is forced through a slot in a base plate into a groove. The groove fits over the teeth in a zipper string and the device can be moved backwardly and forwardly along the zipper string to lubricate the zipper.

The means by which the objects of this invention are obtained are described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the lubricator;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a view of a portion of FIG. 4 showing the piston partially raised and the lubricant in the block and groove.

The lubricator is composed of a block removably attached to a base plate 12. Block 10 has a thickened neck portion 14 on its top wall, parallel side walls, end walls and an open bottom. Threaded through neck portion 14 is a shaft 16 having a knured head 18. The lower reach of shaft 16 has a reduced smooth stem 20 which is freely rotatable in a piston 22 slidably mounted in the interior of block 10. This end wall has a lower end edge with a rounded nose 16a. Grooves 24 extend longitudinally along each side of block 10 adjacent the bottom and one end wall.

Base plate 12 has a flat bottom 30, the side edges of which extend upwardly and are rebent into flanges 32. The flanges form a channel which is closed at one end a and is opened at the opposite end 30b. The closed 3,519,099 Patented July 7, 1970 end is curved for receiving the rounded nose 16a of block 10*. Flanges 32 form a sliding tongue and groove joint with grooves 24.

Extending longitudinally and centrally through the bottom 30 of plate 12 is a groove 34 through which a slot 36 extends completely through the plate and which is coextensive with the open bottom of block 10 to form an opening so that the interior of block 10 communicates with groove 34. The width of groove 34 is such that is can slidably contain the teeth of one row in an opened zipper. Slot 36 terminates in flanges 37 and 38 so that the length of open slot 36 is substantially the same as the length of the open bottom in block 10.

The block 10, base plate 12, shaft 16 and piston 22 can be easily machined from light metals, be die cast, or made from injection molded synthetic plastics.

In operation, the block and base plate are first separated by sliding the base plate 12 off of the block 10. The shaft 16 is then turned so that piston 22 can be pushed and retracted into the interior of the block. A pasty lubricant 40, FIG. 5, suitable for lubricating a zipper is then placed in block 10 between piston 22 and the open bottom of the block. The lubricator is then assembled by sliding the base plate 12, that is the flanges 32 through the grooves 24 so that the block and base plate are united. This is facilitated by curved nose 16a. Shaft 16 is then turned to force the lubricant 40 down through slot 36 into groove 34. The consistency of the lubricant forms a connection between the block 10 and plate 12 sufficiently strong to keep these parts from freely separating. The block is then pressed on a zipper string so that the zipper teeth extend into slot 34 and then the lubricator is slid back and forth along the string to lubricate the teeth.

This lubricator is simple and can be cheaply produced by either machining metal workpieces or by die casting or by injection molding of plastic materials. The lubricator is small and can be easily manually operated and requires very little storage space.

Having now described the means by which the objects of this invention are obtained,

I claim:

1. A zipper lubricator comprising an upper hollowed block having parallel side walls, end walls, a top wall and an open bottom, a piston sidably mounted in said hollow block and movable toward said open bottom, a shaft threaded through said top wall and engaged with said piston for forcing said piston toward said bottom, a lubricant in said block filling the hollow in said block between said piston and said open bottom, a base plate, a groove in the bottom of said plate extending parallel to said side walls and through the entire length of said plate, a slot in said groove open through said base plate in the groove portion coextensive with said open bottom for the passage of lubricant therethrough, said joint means for slidably and removably attaching said base plate to the bottom of said block.

2. A lubricator as in claim 1, said joint means comprising a tongue and groove joint.

3. A lubricator as in claim 2, said tongue and groove joint comprising a groove in said side walls and in one end wall, and rebent flanges on said base plate slidably seated in said groove.

4. A lubricator as in claim 3, said shaft having a smooth stem engaging said piston.

5. A lubricator as in claim 4, said lubricant extending through said slot and forming a connection between said 3 block and base plate sufficiently strong to keep said block and base plate from freely falling apart.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1955 Soldan 184-17 11/1957 Amberg 184-16 MANUEL A. ANTONAKAS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 184-38 

